News Archive
Republicans using AIG against Murphy
POLITICO
By Josh Kraushaar 11:43 AM
Republicans are hoping that the dispute over AIG’s bonuses will become a major issue in the New York special election against Democrat Scott Murphy
The National Republican Congressional Committee is arguing that support for the stimulus package is, in essence, a vote that allowed AIG to expend its bonuses.
It points to a provision in the bill intending to prevent companies that received bailout money from doling out any bonuses, which didn’t apply to contracts signed before February 11.
Tedisco slams Murphy on stimulus
Thursday, March 19, 2009 3:06 AM EDT
By PATRICIA DOXSEY
Freeman staff
KINGSTON — Republican James Tedisco on Wednesday criticized his Democratic opponent in the 20th Congressional District race for supporting a stimulus bill that allowed executives of troubled insurance giant AIG to collect millions of dollars in bonuses.
During a meeting with the Freeman editorial board, Tedisco said Scott Murphy either “knew he was saying ‘yes’ to the bonuses” or didn’t read the stimulus bill before throwing his support behind it.”
“I really think Scott has to answer to why he said ‘yes’ to the bill or why he didn’t read it,” Tedisco said. “If he didn’t read it, how did he say he supported it?”
Tedisco admitted, however, that he didn’t realize until Tuesday that the $787 billion legislation included permission for $165 million in executive bonuses despite saying he had read and was “fully vetted” on the stimulus package.
GOP hopes AIG anger will score points in N.Y. race
By Reid Wilson
Posted: 03/18/09 04:11 PM [ET]
As outrage mounts over performance bonuses awarded to top executives at American Insurance Group (AIG), Republicans think they have found a potent political issue that they say could tip the scales in the upcoming special election to fill Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's (D-N.Y.) old House seat.
Strategists close to the Republican effort to retake the seat say the excessive bonuses, which have generated outrage on Capitol Hill, will be a key part of the GOP message for the race's final two weeks as the party tries to tie venture capitalist Scott Murphy (D) to a controversial portion of the stimulus measure that deals with executive compensation.
Murphy has vocally supported the stimulus legislation passed in February and effectively hammered his GOP rival, Assemblyman Jim Tedisco (R), for refusing to offer his own support. Tedisco said this week that he would have opposed the measure, inviting a new round of criticism and Democratic attacks.
But Republicans have seized on a provision that emerged from the conference report on the stimulus that limited executive compensation, which exempted bonuses included in contracts agreed to before the measure passed on Feb. 11.
March 31 Chosen For New York House Special Election
CQ Today Online News - Politics
Feb 11, 2009
Voters in upstate New York will go to the polls at the end of March to fill an empty seat in Congress.
Gov. David A. Paterson said Wednesday that the special election in the 20th Congressional District will be March 31st.
Paterson said at a press conference in Albany that he will issue a proclamation on Feb. 23 to schedule the election for the seat vacated in late January by Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand .
Paterson, a Democrat, appointed Gillibrand to the U.S. Senate seat vacatedt by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton after her confirmation as secretary of State.
State Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco has been nominated by the Republicans to run in the special election.
The Democratic nominee is first-time candidate Scott Murphy.
